By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The makeover at the two sets of tennis courts at Veterans Memorial Park in Great Bend received another aesthetic enhancement last week. The Great Bend Recreation Commission received the windscreens nearly three weeks ago and had time to install them Friday, July 23.
The windscreens wrap around the newly installed fencing and feature a “Great Bend Tennis” imprinted logo on the south side of the courts.
GBRC Assistant Superintendent Chris Umphres said there is
not much left to do at the tennis courts that received new fencing, concrete
work, windscreens, tables, bleachers and shade structures.
"We also have shade structures we need to put up on the east side to match what we did on the west side," said Umphres. "We have them but that will be a city project that they will handle in-house."
The $10,871 purchase for the windscreens comes with a five-year warranty and
provides a 22% wind pass-through rate and a 78% shade factor.
Further to the
south, the process to install artificial turf on the infields at the five
ballfields at the Great Bend Sports Complex is underway with Hellas
Construction.
"They did their core drilling to see what the ground was like," said Umphres. "They're doing some surveying to see how much ground they need to take off. They're planning on bringing the crews out the second week of August to get started."
Hellas Construction has until Feb. 1, 2022 to complete the
installation but are looking to finish the job as soon as possible with the
unpredictable Kansas weather.
The Recreation Commission along with the City of Great Bend and USD 428 collaborated
for the $1.36 million turf installation project.